As a photographer, I appreciate a good storm for the opportunities it can provide for interesting photos. But I'm also torn. Because there's nothing like a stormy day spent at home curled up on the couch all cozy and warm, as the wind and rain whip around outside. But I've learned if I want to make the photographs, I have to brave the elements and get out there, when the storm is doing its thing.
Nature's Fury: Photographing in a Tropical Storm
September 18, 2023 | Acadia National Park, Maine
Storm Surge
Waves break against the rocks as Tropical Storm Lee passes over Acadia National Park near Bar Harbor, Maine on a late summer day.
So this past Saturday, as Hurricane Lee headed north towards Maine and Nova Scotia, despite my desire to stay inside and curl up on the couch with a good movie, I was driving to Acadia National Park to photograph it. I left a little later than planned but I managed to get there right around high tide. The day before, I had purchased myself a new rain suit, since I really didn't have much in the way of rain gear, surprisingly enough. This ensured I stayed relatively dry. I had prepped my camera, wrapping it in the rain cover designed for such a purpose, and got out of my car for the walk to Boulder Beach where I started photographing. The image I made there can be seen at the bottom of this entry.
Acadia Fury
Waves crash against the rocky shoreline along the Park Loop Road in Acadia National Park as a tropical storm rages on a late summer day near Bar Harbor, Maine.
To be honest, the storm didn't seem that bad. The winds were blowing, but not as hard as they were predicted the day before. The waves were big, but I'd been to Acadia during a nor'easter and had seen them even bigger. If it weren't for the driving rain, it actually would have been pretty pleasant out! After I finished at Boulder Beach, I decided to walk up the Park Loop Road. I passed Monument Cove where I took a few images, and then continued on to Thunder Hole, before finally stopping at the destination I'd had in mind all along, Newport Cove. There's an outcropping there and some big jagged rocks I'd always wanted to see getting hit by big waves. It didn't disappoint. The first two images in this entry were made there.
The Raging Storm
The Atlantic Ocean unleashes its fury at Otter Cliffs in Acadia National Park as a tropical storm passes on a summer day near Bar Harbor, Maine.
It was interesting seeing the waterfalls at Newport Cove, created by the heavy rains running off the Park Look Road and Gorham Mountain. These aren't normally there but it created an interesting element that I wanted to include in the second image. I ended up spending about two hours in total photographing. By then, the tide had begun receding and the storm seemed to have lost some intensity, so I decided it was time to head home to that couch I mentioned earlier.